iZombie: “Mr. Berserk” Review

iZombie Season 1 Episode 10

Still reeling from a tragic loss, Liv throws herself head-first into a new case that proves more dangerous than it first appears.

The CW

GRIEVING PROCESS

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

Lowell’s death was a heartbreaking moment for Liv. Picking up virtually right where we left off last week, Liv was still reeling from the consequences of her failed attempt to kill Blaine. I hadn’t even considered that she’d be suspected of killing Lowell at all, but she found herself having to face all sorts of uncomfortable questions. iZombie continues to absolutely nail connecting all of its stories together, so even this short interrogation scene has led to Liv and Ravi figuring out that someone in the police department is working with Blaine.

Another incredibly smart play by the show was how it handled the “brain of the week.” This is a show that heavily relies on having a different case each week, but it would be a little unrealistic to have Liv just working a case as if nothing happened. Having her eating the brains of an alcoholic journalist gave her a way of coping with her grief, while also giving her a great distraction. The fact that the case actually ended up tying into the overarching plot was a great surprise, and we got a considerable step closer to finding out a bit more of the truth behind the zombie outbreak. The sinister Max Rager company has now been established as a proper villain. I’m eager to learn what their connection to Blaine is, and whether he’ll just turn out to be a pawn in their plans, or vice-versa even.

The highlight of Liv’s first run-in with Max Rager was the tremendously creepy Sebastian (Matthew MacCaull). There was just something so off about him from the very beginning, even when he was pretending to help Liv. Things only escalated when he revealed his villainous nature, and we found out he was Max Rager’s payroll psychopath—the man they used to clean up messy situations. The way Sebastian acted was so menacing, and it’s clear he’s a whole other type of villain when compared to Blaine. Blaine acts for personal gain, while Sebastian seems to relish in murder. The way he licked some of Liv’s blood was a really creepy moment again, although it ended up being pivotal as he’s now returned to “life” as a horrendously scarred zombie. If we thought Sebastian was bad enough when he was alive, I hate to see what he’ll get up to as a vengeful zombie.

The CW

The only part of the episode I felt a little bit disappointed by was Major’s storyline. I’ve been enjoying his little side investigation so far, and it felt like the next natural step was for him to learn the truth. Unfortunately, Liv wouldn’t allow Ravi to let Major in on their secret, even though Major was about to commit himself to rehab over fears of going crazy. The “keeping a massive secret to keep someone safe” has been done to death on a plethora of different shows over the years, and I’d hoped we could skip passed it a bit here. I can completely understand Liv wanting to keep Major safe, but he’s already in so much danger now that the truth could only help him. It does seem like he’s finally onto the zombie trail now, with a fellow patient telling him a tale about a red-eyed zombie that he had seen. I only hope that we don’t have to spend too much time dealing with Major feeling betrayed by his closest friends.

THE BREAKDOWN

Liv and iZombie took a little time out this week to mourn the loss of Lowell. We didn’t jump right into a “get Blaine” storyline, but instead, Liv solved a case, got drunk a lot and then accepted her grief. The next step is going to be crucial for Liv, but it seems like she has settled on putting down Blaine once and for all. After all she went through last week, I’m still not sure if she’ll be able to pull the trigger, but it was interesting to hear them talk about jail not being an option. I’d really like to see Liv start trying to tear down Blaine’s operation piece by piece, but we really have no idea how big it is. One things for certain though, it’s going to be a very interesting confrontation between the two zombies, especially with a wildcard like Sebastian thrown into the mix.

88/100 – Great

Would you have liked to have seen Liv tell Major the truth, or do you feel like she was right to keep him in the dark? Tweet me @OldSnake24. Also, be sure to follow us @YouNerded.

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Michael Spring is a staff writer for YouNerded.com. If he's not playing Metal Gear or watching some excellent TV show, he's more than likely asleep. For some witty banter and the occasional rant about football, you can follow him @OldSnake24 on Twitter